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World Cup quarterfinals impact local sports bars, pubs

Brian Achatz, pnj.com Sports 10:41 p.m. CDT July 4, 2014

Downtown Pensacola's pub traffic takes a hit following U.S. elimination from FIFA World Cup.

(l-r) Jeff Jolly, Aki Masunaga, Alex Penabade and Gelies Afonso enjoy watching the Brazil vs Columbia game in the World Cup series Friday afternoon at the World of Beer in downtown Pensacola.(Photo: Bruce Graner/bgraner@pnj.com, Bruce Graner/bgraner@pnj.com)

It will be four years before Pensacola fans are given another chance to watch the U.S. men's national team in FIFA World Cup action.

O'Riley's bartender, Leslie Holley estimated a turnout of more than 150 spectators Wednesday for the USA's final game vs. Belgium.

But where did these fans come from? Were they die-hard soccer fans, World Cup fans who appreciate the gravity of the event or were they simply patriots who bleed red, white and blue and crave international competition?

A crowd of 30 fans gathered to watch two of the most prestigious World Cup countries face off as Germany edged France 1-0 in the first match.

Next, host-country Brazil advanced with a 2-1 win over Colombia, a team powered by rising superstar James Rodriguez — who leads the chase for the 2014 Golden Boot with six goals in five matches.

World Cup enthusiast, Kevin Baroco joined the crowd Friday at O'Riley's.

"(People from Pensacola) still support teams and the World Cup even after the U.S. got beat," said Baroco, who has watched matches at venues in Pensacola Beach, downtown Pensacola and everywhere in between.

"I think there is a big Costa Rica and Pensacola connection. We've got a lot of people who like to travel down there, so I think Costa Rica had a lot of people jump on their bandwagon."

If you visited downtown Pensacola while the U.S. men's national team was competing, you saw a horde of fans wearing red, white and blue — carrying the "I Believe" chant every step of the way — at downtown bars like O'Riley's and New York Nick's.

These fans watched the Americans climb out of the "group of death" with a 1-1-1 record and move on to the round of 16 to face Belgium last Wednesday.

The U.S. fell short, dropping a 2-1 decision despite a record-setting performance by USA goalkeeper Tim Howard who saved 16 shots in the loss.

Fans were encouraged by the American's overall success and electrified by their goalie's performance, but still saddened by the reality of their team's elimination.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup is the third World Cup that New York Nick's has been open for according to owner Nick Zangari.

"You could probably take all the fans downtown (today) who are watching the World Cup and fill them in one sports bar," Zangari said.

"But — the people that came out to watch it were just as enthusiastic as the U.S. fans were during the USA games, just in smaller numbers."

Zangari believes that fans will continue to show interest in future World Cups.

"Whether the World Cup games come on at 8 a.m. like they did in 2010, or in the afternoon like this year, fans will be looking for places that cater to them."

BRAZIL defeats COLOMBIA

Thiago Silva and David Luiz, below, both scored goals to lead Brazil past Colombia and into the semifinals.